When was the last time you were truly excited about something? A new opportunity? A new gadget? A new idea or plan for success? Sometimes it’s so easy to get into a rut. Beware of this though, because if you do you can thwart your creativity. Take a few moments to think about the last time you were truly excited about something. Do you tell yourself you’re not “allowed” to be excited because you’re a business owner and you have responsibilities? I’m here to tell you that because of your status as an entrepreneur you need to make time for excitement.

This is what I’ve found happens when I embrace a new idea and let my creativity flow:

My creative juices flow and then they overflow into all areas of my life.

I feel energized! Watch out though you may be so energized that you forget to sleep!

Even spending time thinking about your new idea allows you to leave the routine and the mundane behind and you’ll return to the task at hand feeling refreshed and renewed.

If you haven’t tried anything new and/or exciting lately, look for an opportunity to do something truly different and exciting. Who knows, maybe such an opportunity will appear in your Inbox in the next day or two!

There are some small business strategies that are just common sense but there are times in the life of an entrepreneur when it’s nice to have a quick refresher in what those business-growing steps are. Here are my quick business renewal strategies:

Don’t worry (too much) about the economy. You don’t have any control over it so continue to forge ahead doing your best and providing your clients service and products that are above and beyond.

Set goals. How will you know if you’ve arrived if you don’t know where you have to be? Is your goal a specific number of clients? A certain number of sales made? A particular monthly income? Whatever the goal, writing it down and setting milestones to reach it will help you achieve it.

Spend your time on high value activities. Your core competency is what you should be concentrating on.

Put ideas into practice. It’s easy to talk about “things” but even easier to procrastinate so that the items you’re thinking about that could grow your business simply don’t materialize. Make it happen!

Find a mentor or an accountability partner. If you’re working in a vacuum it’s easy to let tasks slide. Find a mentor that will provide you with a push or a colleague with whom you can communicate ideas, plans, and goals achieved.

Ready. Set. Grow! What do you do to grow your business and achieve your goals?

As an entrepreneur there is no doubt that you have heard about Facebook and if you’re technically savvy, chances are you are already involved in your Facebook page and are working to build your company’s presence.

Here, though, are seven tips to make the best use of your time on Facebook:

Eighty percent of your posts should be informational and fun for your readers. Spend only 20% of your Facebook time in the process of selling

Include an image of your company, a profile picture of yourself and the company principles. Use video to capture the interest of your followers

Don’t know what to write about? Check out Twitter for trending topics

Let your personality shine through. Regardless of the business you’re in, potential clients want to work with “real” people not just a company facade

Work on Facebook follower interaction. Ask a question that doesn’t take too much time or effort on the part of your followers. Ask questions such as: What’s your favorite hamburger topping? Where was your favorite vacation? What was your first vehicle?

Don’t forget calls to action. As a way to get them invested in your business or service, ask a question that raises a question in their minds and then offer a free report or a free consultation to address that pain point